


Kryptonian Conquest

by Blue_Hood



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League (2017), Man of Steel (2013), Supergirl (TV 2015), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alien Invasion, Alien Technology, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blue Lantern Jimmy Olsen, Clones, Fortress of Solitude, Heroes to Villains, Kryptonians invaded Earth, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Post-Justice League (2017), Rebellion, Rebuilding, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death, The League of Assassins (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22866115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood
Summary: What if Superman and Supergirl were advanced agents for Krypton?
Relationships: Arthur Curry & Victor Stone, Arthur Curry/Mera, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Carol Ferris/Hal Jordan, Diana (Wonder Woman) & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Lucy Lane/James "Jimmy" Olsen, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, past Clark Kent/Lois Lane - Relationship
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

Superman was the flagship, Supergirl the scout; he was a sleeper agent while she was trained in subterfuge. Jor-El’s claim he sent his son away to save him was a test. The whole thing was the most elaborate of tests, sending the ships from a truly doomed planet was a stroke of brilliance. Zod arrived after Kal had reached maturity to activate the shipwrecked son of Krypton. Their battle secured Earth's trust in an act of destruction, testing human defenses and forcing hidden heroes to show themselves. Zod’s fleet came during Steppenwolf’s siege. Exhausted, the heroes were easily overpowered.

Once the world surrendered, politicians were no longer needed. They were given a choice: slavery or watch their families be slaughtered before their own deaths. Safe to say, Kryptonian officials were very convincing.

“How could you, Clark?”

“How could I not, Bruce? These are my people, this was always my purpose. And the name is Kal-El or Superman not Clark Kent. After all, I am a dangerous alien.” Earth’s heroes were imprisoned, a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of everyday citizens. The dangerous men and women were collared, including but not limited to Winslow Schlott, Lex Luthor and Ra's al Ghul.

Kal-El took steps to ensure those closest to him in his human life did not suffer greatly, he gave them cush jobs and used past experience to explain himself. The one thing the invaders did not account for was the power of a nobody- this is not the story of Earth’s fall, it is the story of a revolution against a hegemony spanning several planets.


	2. The Power of a Nobody

There were few things humans could enjoy these days. The threats had been collared and enslaved, imprisoned or executed by their new overlords. All that is, except one: Nobody. Named for the main character in the Odyssey, humanity’s last hope relied on the Kryptonians’ cultural unawareness. Although that was a bit of a misnomer, Nobody was everybody because everybody allowed to walk this world they called Earth was a nobody to their alien overlords. Most people were unaware that their hero first became active during the invasion, believing him to be a symbol of rebellion that rose from the ashes of humanity’s defeat. The truth was far from what anyone believed.

Winn was sweeping floors when he heard a familiar call, the Kryptonians rushed off to see who had been caught acting as Nobody. His intelligence had been discovered and he’d been collared but he wasn’t quite high enough on the threat list to warrant constant imprisonment and watch. He was docile, even denying his intelligence as they took him from the rest of the conquered populace. Unfortunately, Kara had never underestimated him, had even encouraged him not to do so and she was one of them. Once the coast was clear, he moved into the cellblock holding the Justice League, ignoring their usual demands to know what he was doing. Winn looked like any other slave to them, few knew how he earned a collar. He worked swiftly before returning to his assignment. Someday, they would be free. Transport and a distraction was all they needed, this new Nobody might prove useful for this mission. They’d want to get him/her in place for a public execution as a reminder that resistance is futile, he just needed to get close to the right Kryptonian and drop a hint. If Kal-El could convince everyone he was meek reporter then someone like him could convince his masters that he was not a threat.

His opportunity came as he was hauled into the meeting to discuss Nobody’s fate, throwing him in front of a computer “Search him.” Winn got to work, searching his disciple’s background and connecting the JL’s networked cells to the Dark Web. Now for transport, a bug in the system that causes an overload will work as a distraction. He stepped back once Nobody’s past was plain to see, dropping to his knees.

The day of the execution, Winn was pulled from his mundane duties to fix the system. The aliens always blamed Earth’s comparatively primitive tech for problems, that’s why they kept clever humans around. While all of the attention was on the many system errors, the Justice League was left unguarded. Their specially designed cells and the aliens’ hubris kept them from recognizing the threat Earth’s heroes might pose. ~~Superman~~ Kal-El had been visiting his former allies when he was summoned elsewhere. “I thought he’d never leave,” said J’onn J’onzz as he pressed a few keys on a console to unlock the cells, “Hurry.” He took them to a window, pushing them out with his powers. A cloaked ship revealed itself briefly as they were caught and flown away.

“Quiet,” said their pilot, making a K with two fingers on one hand as he flew them away from the fortress. Once they were in the underground, he took his helmet off “Now you can talk.” Coming to a stop, he introduced “James Olsen.”

“Our names are public record I’m guessing,” said Bruce Wayne.

“Not really,” James told them “I know your names because I’m your ride out but most of the world only knows that the Justice League was betrayed and captured by Superman, or rather by Master Kal of House El.”

A woman with an athletic build came over “You said it right the first time, James. My name is Lena Luthor. James and I will brief you on the state of the world before taking you to a safehouse of sorts, we won’t be able to pull off this jailbreak twice so please lay low.”

As she began leading them further into the tunnels, Diana noticed “Neither of you have collars.”

Lena told her “Most of the collared population openly protested Kryptonian occupation and were made examples of. Those of high intellect, such as my brother Lex, who are predisposed towards going against the grain are also collared. The higher one is on the threat list, the less freedom they have. Most people are monitored, they obey the overlords and they live.”

“Not you,” said Barry Allen. “How come-”

James said “They don’t know we’re rebels. They think they’ve ensured our compliance.”

They all sat down in a conference room and Arthur Curry asked “What is this place?”

Lena said “We don’t name places.”

Barry asked “How'd you guys manage all this?”

James said “The aliens are aware of only one rebel, they think they’ve crushed all others but this one keeps going. Every time they think they’ve caught and executed Nobody, he rises again somewhere else. What they don’t understand is that Nobody isn’t a person.”

“So it’s a machine?” asked Victor Stone.

“No,” Lena said “Nobody is everybody because we’re all nobody in the eyes of Krypton.”

“So these rebels they execute are merely followers,” inferred Bruce.

“Yes and they all serve a purpose,” James said “I’m not saying that martyrdom is an honor but there’s always a plan attached to these reveals, something that requires the capture of the rebel to succeed.”

“Like our escape?”

“Your escape is only the most recent one.” Lena said “We also use the mandatory executions to make contact with recruits.”

“Nobody has gone to ground, you might meet him in the future but for now, you need to follow his lead.” James told Bruce “We’re commissioning the Batcave as a safehouse, it’s the only place with anti-Kryptonian security we can use. Most places that fit the bill have been dismantled, destroyed or repurposed as reeducation centers for renegade aliens.”

“If it’s the only way.”

James’ lips twitched and he glanced at Lena, receiving a minute nod, before informing them “You’ve all seen Nobody, he made it possible for J’onn to unlock your cells.”

Their eyes widened, only one human had touched the controls but he was collared and that meant “He’s a known rebel?” Vic voiced it but there seemed to be a consensus.

“No, he’s the other kind.” Lena said “We keep his identity top secret, which is why we brought you so far underground for this briefing.”

“Won’t they be wondering where you two are?” asked Bruce.

“Nope.” James said “We can’t stay down here forever but we’re not viewed as threats.”

Barry asked “If they know Nobody’s smart enough to undermine them then why don’t they see him for what he is?”

“You’ve seen him, did you think he was a rebel?”

“Well, no. Alright, point taken.”

Lena said “We need to pick up the pace so we’re going to skip any other questions and give you a rundown of the situation we’re in.” James took that as his cue to leave, he still had a transport to deal with before they showed their hand.

When she showed them the Batcave, she warned them “You need to stay underground, we have plenty of agents in Gotham who will send you supplies.”

“What do they have on you and Olsen?” asked Bruce.

“James was engaged to Lucy Lane, she worked with her father in the military so there was nothing Kal-El could do in her defense. He doesn’t know that his people are leveraging their captives against relatives, James and Nobody both seem quite sure of this. My brother made a mess of things, painting himself as Kal-El’s mortal enemy, so there really was nothing to be done for him. Kara Zor-El considered me a friend but unlike Kal, she was raised in the war culture of her people. She has no problem using Lex against me but I don’t think she fully understands what she’s done.”

“What does that mean?” asked Barry.

“Kara often tells me that doing what her people want will better my brother’s situation but that’s not true. She thinks this is the carrot and the stick.”

“What is it?”

“Give an inch, take a mile.”

“What exactly do they want you to do?”

“They want me to find rebels and turn them into informants. They’re aware that I am not a fool but not how true that is.”

“You’ve never turned rebels, have you?”

“I have. All’s fair in love and war. Give me a minute.” She went into the Manor and retrieved four people.

“Bruce!” a teen cheered as he ran to the man in question

Lena introduced the excitable teen “Dick Grayson, formerly Robin.” Then the teenage girl “Barbara Gordon, formerly Batgirl.” Then the two men “Jim Gordon, formerly the Gotham City Police Commissioner; and Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s mission controller.”

“You’re all-” Diana noticed Jim’s neck “Rebel or smart?”

“Rebel, of sorts.” Jim said “Gotham has such a high crime rate, even during the war, that the invaders believed I was undermining them. I didn’t actually join the rebellion until I helped Barb out of a jam. During my induction, I found out about all the Bats.”

Lena told them “One of our other local agents isn’t here because we weren’t sure if he would be allowed in.” Alfred pulled up a profile on the big computer “Jason Todd, his father died in prison and his mother OD’d. He made it a few years on his own before the war. Jim brought him to our attention during his trials, prior to his induction, because Jason here managed to lead a little rebellion of his own during the war. He convinced several crime bosses that fighting was in their best interests.”

“How?” asked Bruce.

Jim answered “By telling the truth. Jason got himself taken to gang bosses and told them that protecting their product or their turf was pointless because when the aliens take over, they’ll have to fall in line or get wiped out. We may not all wear collars but we’re all slaves here. Jason was right and when push came to shove, I didn’t care who I had to work with to keep Gotham free, hence the aliens’ belief that I was undermining them when the war was lost.”

“Technically all of the holdout states around the globe were doing the same thing. Their leaders offered felons a deal- fight to be free or die in lock-up. In some places, they made the offer to their inmate population as a whole and executed the first person who refused to fight.”

“I don’t think the survivors of those demonstrations were really giving it their all to the fight.” Jim said “In fact, it’s common knowledge that the invaders made deals to turn people to their side during the war.”

“True.”

Bruce asked “What does Jason do for the rebels now?”

Barbara explained “Kids like Jason are seen as extra expendable. He goes places others can’t and he’s monitored much less than the rest of us because he does not seem to have connections, his circumstances forcing him to spend most of his life self-reliant.”

Lena said “He’s an asset but we’re careful not to let that slip, lest our overlords overhear. Most of our key players have codenames- Jason Todd is the Red Hood.”

“Like the gang?” asked Bruce.

“Exactly like the gang, which forced ordinary people to become criminals. It seemed fitting.”

Diana asked “If Red Hood has a namesake, does that mean Nobody is named for the Odyssey?”

“He is named for Odysseus’s strategy, telling the giant he was nobody so that his allies would not assist him. We've made the tactic our own.” Lena asked the other four “Are we all set?” They nodded and Lena made her exit.


	3. Master Zod

Winn was punished for not alerting the aliens to the problem with the computer system then he was transferred to Gotham. Sometimes he wondered if some of the aliens were also secretly rebels, he often seemed to get the most advantageous assignments. Then he met his new Master, Val-Zod and knew he had an ally among the aliens. The son of General Zod had been described as a Kryptonian Batman, ruthless when needed while also caring for the humans he oversees as much as he can with a traditional upbringing.

Val’s first order was for Winn to impersonate Nobody, informing his followers of a new citadel. The rebellion had the Martians and Mon-El on their side, both sought to free their respective planets and people from subjugation. But a Kryptonian, especially his master, could be infinitely more useful. Master Val had the ultimate authority over him, which included deciding when and how to punish him. Winn was not rebellious, as far as his superiors knew, but he was punished fairly often for failing to foresee or report problems in the system. The only downside he could see his transfer having was the distance it put between him and his parents, who were imprisoned in the citadel he had been moved from. When he finished his work, he knelt and waited for Val’s assessment, waited for another order. He was not allowed to speak without explicit permission.

Master Val kept him busy, using his intelligence on all sorts of projects. When General Zod visited his son, he was quick to throw Winn to the floor and berate his son for giving the rebel such access. Val argued that he was utilizing the clever human’s intellect, reminding his patriarch that this human was not known for his rebellious nature. When thrown, Winn would remain where he landed unless ordered otherwise. He had taught himself the Kryptonian language so he could track what was going on around him, rather than tune it out and hope he didn’t miss a summons. Dru-Zod pulled him up by his hair and Winn barely had to fake the fear signals the aliens were expecting, the General was callous enough to accidentally kill a human without regret- even a human the conquerors had such use for. When the argument ended, Zod dropped Winn and stormed out. Slowly, as though testing his boundaries, Winn pulled himself up to kneel. Val scanned him before ordering him back to work, with an added “Do that whenever you’re thrown.” He knew what ‘that’ was and decided it was a good sign.

While being collared for his intelligence gave him access he wouldn’t otherwise have, the downsides were numerous. For starters, he was watched more closely than other humans. His particular position did not lend itself to the kind of freedom that would allow him to see humans without collars. Most aliens did not bother to track which humans were collared for rebellion and which were collared for brains. At his previous posting, he was allowed access to the room outside his parents’ cells. He used this access to free the Justice League, though he managed to cover that up when he was fixing the system. At his current posting, he was rarely allowed out of Master Val’s sight. In fact, he slept on a mat in his Master’s chambers and most visitors ignored his presence, which had its advantages.

Val-Zod proved to be invaluable, especially once he realized his human could understand the Kryptonian language. Winn was afraid that his slip up would set all of the rebellion’s plans back but Master Val seemed more amused than upset. He spoke his native tongue when they were alone and made a point of disregarding Winn around visitors, giving him access to much more information than conversations would normally contain. Finally when his master had a day to himself, given with a snide remark about enjoying his pet, he put the chamber on privacy mode. “You’re a rebel.” It was not a question and Winn forced himself to nod meekly. “Good, then you can give them a message.” Val gestured to the computer “Can you get on that without tipping the others off?” Nod. “You can talk with privacy mode on, it’s even normal for us to grant that.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I know you’ve been sizing me up, what do you think I want?”

“You realize that you will die if we succeed.”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“What?”

“If I survive your rebellion then I will be sentenced to the Phantom Zone for failing to stop the revolt.”

“Why help us then?”

“I was a flagship once, like your Superman but I failed to fall in line when our forces moved in and the planet was destroyed for its rebellious efforts.”

Winn moved to the console “Three minute limit.” He began the transmission, sharing information with the inner circle.

When he finished, Val smiled at him as he brought the human to bed to preserve their cover. “You’re Nobody.” Winn was already faking fear so he gave nothing away when Val outed him. “How do you do it?” He said nothing. “Not the time, got it.” Val-Zod was definitely an asset to the rebel cause.


	4. Jason Todd

Before returning to the lives they’d been assigned, Alfred and Barbara showed the League around the cave. Alfred instructed them on the use of the cave’s medical supplies, including vials of greenish blue liquid labelled Lazarus Serum which could allegedly bring people back from the brink of death. Barbara showed them how to access both rebel channels and overlord streams. Their instructions were clear, stay in the cave and help any humans who come to the cave. Bruce spent his time going through files on the computer, looking at the stats the rebellion had collected on people of interest. He came across information on the citadels and froze. Diana noticed his reaction “What is it?”

“We were kept in one of these.” The others trickled over to read the file and responded with similar shock. “These citadels pump out more dead bodies than most morgues did before the invasion.”

Barry said “The citadels are where they keep most of the people they collar as threats. That makes them high value targets, right?”

“Right.”

They were interrupted from their discovery by a rebel transmission sent solely to the cave. Bruce read through the transmission- written meant they couldn't risk being overheard in a hurry- and switched to what Barbara called overlord streams for the execution. A familiar face was on screen, Jason Peter Todd, the Red Hood. When Bruce turned the volume up, they heard a bored voice read off the charges before the executioner turned a sadistic smile on the boy “Any last words?” He then cleared his throat at the prompting of some unseen figure and repeated himself in a more formal manner befitting a proper, judicial execution.

Jason looked at his soon-to-be killer and said “I am Nobody. Nobody is everybody and everybody knows Red Hood rules-” he was cut off by two red hot beams slicing through his chest into that of the alien holding him. His body was dropped and two figures hurried to collect it, pausing to wait for the executioner to get through reading off the details to make the execution official. One of the figures was Dick Grayson and the other one nagged at Bruce, he looked familiar.

Barry noticed something “Looks like Dick’s partner has been collared.”

The transmission ended soon after that, Bruce told them “The boy’s body is gonna come in for the Lazarus treatment, pick it up before it passes us.” Then he got to work on identifying “Tim Drake.”

Barry said “He’s younger than Jason,” just before Arthur came back with the boy’s body, laying it on the table.

Bruce hurried to the medbay to administer the Lazarus Serum, attaching leads to monitor his vitals. “We’ll go over that later. I need to monitor him in case- it’s working.”

Arthur said “Nice, so we can bring people back from the dead. Why this kid in particular?”

“The transmission didn’t say but based on his words, I’d wager he died for the cause before he could actually join us.”

“Still, why not bring everybody back?”

“To protect the supply chain,” Diana explained “If we brought everybody back then the enemy could use wholesale slaughter to track us down and all would be lost.”

“I see.”

Barry asked “What is this stuff exactly?”

“According to the file, a man named Ra’s al Ghul discovered wells of healing water centuries ago which he used to extend his life. He calls these wells Lazarus Pits, the Serum is a distilled variant of their waters.”

“Distilled?”

“The healing power of al Ghul’s pits comes with dangerous side effects. The serum is designed to maintain the life-saving properties without the side effects.”

“Such as?” asked Diana.

“Temporary insanity and homicidal rages.” The others backed away from Jason. “Al Ghul uses a drug to suppress those effects, which we have in stock over there.” Bruce gestured to a cabinet.

“These are batarangs,” said Barry, opening the cabinet.

“The drug is delivered by a dart. If the serum doesn’t work, we’ll want to keep our distance.”

Barry closed the cabinet, “Is that why you’re staying so close to him?”

“I can handle a kid, even a homicidal one and Diana can use a boomerang.” Bruce sat back on his wheelie chair, “Plus, I’m supposed to train him when he wakes up. He’s already chosen his mantle, which works out well.” He pointed to a cupboard and Barry ran over, finding a red helmet. “It’s armored.”

“These were worn by the gang, right?”

Bruce nodded, “Most of the members were blackmailed into it.”

“Awesome.” Barry quickly corrected himself “I mean it’s terrible but awesome in that it’s an awesome piece-”

Bruce smirked “There’d be no Batman without the gang.”

“What?”

“I was just starting out when I took them on, something Red Hood said after he blew up my safehouse inspired me to become more than a man fighting a war. Men can be killed, the leader of the Red Hood Gang said that if you kill one of them, more will take their place.”

“Like a ‘we are legion for we are many’ kinda thing?”

“Exactly but it got me thinking about the long game. One man can be killed, easily but an idea-”

“An idea can live forever,” finished Diana.

“Exactly.” Bruce looked at Jason, “When this is over, I think I’m going to take both Jason and Tim in. They’ve already proven themselves and they need a place to belong. Any foster care system set up in the wake of all this won’t be able to handle exceptional, traumatized young people.”

“With how many bodies those citadels are pumping out,” Barry said “The foster care system will be even more overworked than usual.”

“I don’t know about that.” Diana looked at each of them “I doubt those numbers can be achieved through adults only. And I also think this experience will bring humanity closer together, more people may be willing to open their homes than before.”

“We’ll need to maintain stringent guidelines for foster care,” Barry argued “Just because the war of worlds is over, doesn’t mean there’s no more monsters.”

“Of course.” Diana smiled “But first, let's win the war of the worlds.”

The first thing Jason was aware of was a cold surface on his back and a weird sensation in his chest. After that he came to awareness pretty quick, a large hand caught him before he could fall off the table as he shot up. It took him a few moments to take in his surroundings, a lot of shiny surfaces and- “Where am I?”

“You’re in the Batcave.” A deep voice informed him, the voice seemed to come from- he shrugged the hand off his shoulder “Go slow.”

He turned around to face the voice, following his directions and keeping his movements slow “Who are you?”

With a smirk on his face, the man said “Three guesses.”

“Uh-uh, I’m not playing that game.” Then his mind caught up to his mouth “Lemme guess, Batman.”

“You can call me Bruce.”

“Like Wayne? The dead guy?”

“What?”

He smirked “So you are Bruce Wayne, and if this is really the Batcave then I guess you know who I am.”

“Jason Todd the Red Hood.”

“You got the first part right, not so sure about the second.”

“I am.” Bruce picked something up off a tray, “Do you mind if I check you over before you try to stand up?”

“What for?”

Bruce put two fingers on his chest and suddenly he remembered. Looking at Batman with steely eyes, he nodded. After his check up, the billionaire lowered the table for him. “Sorry about that, Arthur carried you in and he’s a bit taller than most.”

“Arthur Curry?”

“How do you know that name?”

“He was the king of Atlantis.”

Speak of the Devil, Aquaman came into Jason’s view, “What of Atlantis?”

“The alien overlords really don’t like it and unlike almost everywhere else, they can’t just put a citadel up over it because the damn thing keeps getting taken out by the waves.”

Bruce waved Arthur over to the computer to check that out while he showed Jason to a big open part of the cave. “You were brought back for a reason, Nobody deemed you valuable enough to send to us for resurrection.”

“Yes!” They heard Arthur cheer.

“So you’re gonna train me?” finished Jason. “Awesome.”

“Let’s see if you still think that in a few weeks.”

“Wait, hold up. I have questions, before we start, alright?”

“Barry?”

A blur of movement preceded a man’s voice calling “Clear, it’s still working.”

“Go ahead, we’re just gonna work on the basics. Show me how you throw a punch.” He did and Bruce started adjusting his stance, “Go ahead and ask your questions.”

“Do you guys really work for Nobody?”

“Yes, he broke us out of prison for the fight to come.”

“So we’re in the final stretch? The aliens are going down.”

“We don’t know how long we’ll be underground but yes, Nobody’s got a plan to bring down the aliens.” Bruce watched him throw a punch then straightened his wrist “You wanna keep that wrist straight or you’ll break it and keep your thumb on the outside for the same reason. Now can I ask a question?”

“You just did but sure.”

“Why do you call them aliens?”

“You mean why don’t we specify species, it’s because the invaders sent the Martians and Mon-El.”

“You mean they conquered Daxam and Mars first?”

“I guess but we don’t specify because they’re all on one side of things and we’re on the other.”

“Alright.”

“If I’m training under you, does that make me Robin? What happened to Robin? Is he here?”

“Slow down the questions. Robin wasn’t with me when the Justice League was captured, he’s still alive but no, he’s not with us. I suppose you could consider yourself Robin but remember, it’s only temporary.”

“What about Nightwing?”

“Nightwing?”

“Must be another thing that happened while you were in the citadel.” Jason explained “Nightwing and Oracle are like Gotham’s new heroes.”

“What does that make you?”

“I don’t know what that has to do with me.”

“If they’re Gotham’s heroes then what are you?”

“Nobody, I mean a rebel. Right?”

“That’s up to you.”

They went through a few moves before Bruce decided “That’s enough for now. You need to build muscle before we can even touch on most moves.”

“Alright.”

Bruce led him out of the training area where Diana had rations waiting. “You did very well for your first time taking lessons,” she told Jason. When Bruce passed them without touching his food, she turned a stern look on him before he pulled a Red Hood helmet out of the cabinet. He looked between the hood and the kid “It’s gonna take some work but we should have a suit ready by the time you’re ready.”

Jason asked “You serious?”

“Very.” Bruce brought the helmet over to the little dining area.

After they finished eating, he set Jason up on the various exercise machines, excluding the weights. “We’ll work up to that, first you need to master the pull up bar.”

While they worked, Arthur and Victor read through the files on the Batcomputer. They mostly checked in on their cities after discovering the reason for the citadels’ high death toll was Atlantis’ continued rebellion in the name of their king. Once Jason exhausted himself training, Bruce put him to bed in the bunk beside Barry’s and returned to the main part of the cave. He made a beeline for Diana “I was wondering if you’d work with Jason while I work on his suit.”

“Looks like he just needs to work on the machines right now.”

“He needs someone to watch him so he doesn’t push himself too far.” She gave him an amused look, “He could barely stand and still tried to argue that he didn’t need to sleep.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“If you’re that worried then okay but we’ll have to coordinate to make sure we’re moving at the same pace. When you think he’s ready to advance, let me know and the same goes if I think he’s ready.”

“Deal.”

Whenever Diana was working with him, Jason could see Bruce either at his workbench or at the computer. He was pushed to his limits everyday and those limits kept changing until Diana called an end to their training one day to speak with Bruce. “I think he’s ready.”

Bruce moved to the gym area and summoned him to the pull up bar “First thing’s first, can you reach it?” Jason moved to the other end of the gym to give himself a running start, pulling himself all the way up on the bar. “Good,” Bruce and Diana shared a look “Let’s start with twenty of those, count aloud.”

“This is easy,” Jason said after the twentieth.

“Alright, Diana thinks you’re ready to advance past the basics. What do you think?”

Jason dropped down, “Yeah, I’m ready when you are.”

Diana smirked “It’s still my lessons, we just want to make sure we’re going at the same speed.”

They moved back to the empty part. “Is this what this area’s for?”

From his workbench, Bruce answered “Yes. I used to have some training dummies set up there.”

Jason learned that when Bruce or Diana called an early end to a session, it meant he was going to be tested to see if he was ready to advance. That or they were about to have a rebel in need of help coming to the cave. He got into a routine until one day, neither of them joined him in the empty part of the cave as he did his warm-ups. “What gives?” Then he saw the Justice League was waiting for him at the workbench. “What’s going on?” He ran over and saw the armor Bruce was always working on. He looked around at each of the heroes, “Seriously?” Bruce and Diana were both smiling as they nodded.

The armor was mostly black, although Jason could see Bruce probably used Robin’s gear for the suit. In the middle of the chest was a red version of the iconic bat and of course, the helmet was there but it looked different. Jason picked it up and tipped it back to look inside, “What?”

Bruce said “It’s an interface.”

“Interface?”

Vic explained “Your helmet is connected to the Batcomputer just like Bruce’s cowl.”

Bruce handed the uniform to Jason, “Suit up and I’ll show you how to use the interface.”

From then on, they focused on the different weapons Bruce gave him which included “Guns? I thought Batman didn’t use guns.”

“Those are tranqs, in case you need to invoke your namesake.”

“Alright.” Barry lent himself to target practice, since he can heal faster than normal people. After he finished his training, Jason started to see how much Bruce himself trained as he joined his mentor to stay in fighting form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kryptonians track who they collar on a register, I just realized I didn't clarify that when I wrote Tim's intro


	5. The Citadel and the Clone

Dick Grayson laid back on his bunk in the human barracks and found he couldn't remember what the building was when humans ruled the Earth. His job disposing of the dead had always seemed to hint at an awareness of who he was that the aliens should not have, either that or they were being cruel by forcing a boy who watched his parents die witness every execution and dispose of the evidence. They learned early on that the overlords don't care where the bodies go, which means Dick has more freedom of movement than most. Barb arranged for Tim Drake to be his partner, the youngest person to be collared for intelligence. His partner bunked with him and shared his secret.

As they filed down for their morning rations, Dick watched silently as Tim was pulled away and a new person was pushed towards him. He recognized his new partner as Arnold Flass and kept trudging along, vaguely surprised by the disgraced detective's silence. Tim always knew that his collar meant the aliens considered him a threat but he was still scared when their overseers decided to take him away. His mind quickly ran through scenarios, looking for a reason. Did they decide he wasn’t big enough to be Dick’s partner? Did they not move fast enough to dispose of Jason Todd? No, Dick would be in trouble too if that were the case. For all his intellect, he could not think of a reason he was being taken to the citadel without Dick. Their job meant they often ventured where few humans strayed and survived. Tim was knocked to his knees in what Dick would call a council chamber- where the aliens met and humans often found themselves too bothersome to live. A teen with the House of El crest followed two adults in, walked after the two flying adults. That didn’t make sense, Kryptonian children learn to fly under solar power before they hit puberty. Tim tried to listen in but they were speaking Kryptonian and he hadn’t heard it enough to even begin teaching himself the language. Chancing a glance up, he realized he was being gifted to the boy wearing ~~Sup~~ Kal’s family crest. The teen carefully ordered “Up.” Tim stood just as carefully and the teen grabbed his arm, lightly “Come.” Tim moved to keep up lest the teen accidentally break his arm. Access, he knew that being collared made him more valuable because of the access he could be afforded.

His master, Kon-El if he understood the adult aliens, took him to his chambers and released his arm, pointing at a console “There.” Tim moved where directed and Kon-El spoke to the room itself “Translate,” before giving orders.

Kon-El, Tim learned later on, was one of a select few the rebellion believed could be an asset. He also learned when his handheld received that transmission that Kon-El was half-human. It was up to him to decide whether to broach the matter. Nobody would be watching from his place in the citadel. The decision of how to go about testing his master’s worth was taken out of his hands when he underwent a growth spurt. Tim was used to pushing through the pain but the collar dug into his neck because of his new size. Kon-El noticed and asked another alien to take a look. Tim was ordered to kneel as the collar came off, which exposed the bloody mess beneath and he was taken to seek medical attention. In cities with citadels, doctors were stationed inside to make life harder on rebels. Once his neck healed enough for a new collar- they were fitted to the wearer’s neck to make them harder to remove- he began looking for a way to bring the other teen into the fold without getting himself executed.

With his master on his side, Tim had more freedom but he still needed to trick Kon-El into engaging privacy mode. He was picking up the alien language fast, which gave him an idea. When Kon returned from wherever teenage aliens go during the day, he found his human muttering in Kryptonian. His immediate response was to engage privacy mode, Tim said “Finally,” then ducked his head.

“How did you-” he was learning English about as fast as Tim was learning Kryptonian. The human pointed to his collar- right, he was smart. “Why?” Tim pulled out a handheld device and Kon listened to a rebel transmission. “You’re-” he wanted to report this but something inside stopped him.

“You’re half-human, in case you were wondering why your powers aren’t developing like they should.”

“How do you know that?”

Tim gestured to the handheld then quickly tucked it in his pocket and resumed work at the console. When Kon came over, he dropped to a kneel. “Apologies, Master.” He was really not cut out for recruitment.

“I understand.”

His human looked up “You do?”

“There are things you cannot tell me, it makes perfect sense.”

Slowly, Tim stood up “Of course.”

“Can I help?” Tim looked at him “You trust me not to out you but you don’t trust me to help?”

Tim mumbled “I don’t know how to do this.”

“You and me both.” The ensuing silence stretched before Kon said “I need to practice English,” and turned off privacy. After finishing his work for the day and slipping a report to the rebellion, Tim knelt in front of the clone. Master Kon gave him a few simple orders and called it a day.

Several months later Tim had the honor of meeting Nobody, though the mutual anonymity kept them from realizing it, when Master Kon-El met with Val-Zod.


	6. Power

Talia al Ghul was sent to deliver the remains of Red Tornado to the Justice League. Jason came out as she opened the box and pulled a roll of electrical tape out of the workbench. Ignoring the others’ stares, he kicked himself over on the rolling chair, leaned up on the chair and taped a severed wire back together, “Reddy, 10-6-15 Overload.”

The daughter of the demon looked at him amazed “How did you know the codes?”

He ignored the question and threw a wrench at her head. The android blew the improvised weapon way. “Good.” The young teen asked the robot “Can you stand up?” The movement caused a horrible grinding noise but he managed to get on his feet. “Okay, you clearly need major repairs beyond this patch job. Is there anything we cannot replace without triggering a reset?”

A few moments of audible whirring preceded the answer “Not that I am aware of.”

“Alright. Just to be safe, let’s get you over to the computer so B can clean up your code while you’re still conscious and aware, that way he can try to remove admin overrides.” Jason turned to Bruce “Can you remove admin overrides on an android?”

“I think so but I’d have to see the code before I can say for sure.”

“Wait,” Jason told Red Tornado, “Let us help.”

Victor said “Your joints are probably fragile from disuse.”

“Exactly,” Jason asked “Do you trust us?” He pulled his jacket away and pointed at the crest “Do you recognize this?”

“Yes, the symbol of the bat.”

“That’s right, you’re in the Batcave.” Jason glanced at Talia “Don’t act like you didn’t know that, Demoness.” He asked Red Tornado “Do you trust us? And can I call you Reddy?”

“Yes, to both.” Arthur and Victor each took a side, helping the android walk without putting too much stress on his joints.

Bruce asked “What were those numbers?”

Jason shrugged “I just remember what I was told and I wasn’t told how the code came about.”

“But Reddy was your nickname for him?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Not to pry,” Diana said “But how did you come across the code?”

“I was part of a team during the war, we went after anti-Kryptonian weapons and tech. The militaries of the world worked on developing and deploying things like that, we dealt with the decommissioned stuff like Reddy. The mission I got the codes on was a bust, we found a lot of stuff on the project- including Morrow’s personal notes which had all the codes and stuff- but Tornado wasn’t there and the enemy found us. Before my execution, that was the closest I came to one of them. Luckily, the lab was built to keep Superman from seeing inside so they couldn’t scout the place out. They killed the whole team and destroyed the notes but the overrides were already passed around and memorized. I don’t know much about what Red can do but I do know how to override his system if he gets hacked.”

“They were counting on a sole survivor,” observed Diana.

“There’s a reason they only sent people without families and they paid really well.”

“People lacking a good memory were probably eliminated early on,” said Bruce.

“Well yeah, they didn’t care if you could read as long as you could copy stuff down from memory. I disappeared after that mission, came back to Gotham and started working on setting up our final stand.”

Talia looked at Jason “Red Hood?”

“No duh.”

“An honor to-” when Jason’s forehead scrunches in confusion at those first few words, Talia changed tact “Nice to meet you.”

“Back at ya, Demoness.”

Barry stage whispered to Diana “What’s this Demoness business?”

“I think it’s like a codename,” answered Arthur.

Talia confirmed “My father is known as the Demon’s Head. As his daughter, I am often called Demoness.”

After returning the chair, Jason watched over Bruce’s shoulder as the man worked on code, the android watching on the others side with a cord from his finger connecting him to the console. Before the other boys could get too rowdy, Diana pulled Talia into the empty part of the cave used for sparing. When the men saw the two women go at it, they all shut up and some began backtracking from the slightly condescending things they’d said while the dynamic duo worked on Red Tornado.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to those who can figure out the code  
> Here's a hint, look at his Supergirl TV debut  
> I would love to hear from my readers, feedback is a powerful thing.


	7. The Revolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song below embodies Winn pretty well. In fact, I was listening to the song when I was inspired to write the story.

_How many times can I break till I shatter?_   
_Over the line, can't define what I'm after_   
_I always turn the car around_   
_Give me a break, let me make my own pattern_   
_All that it takes is some time_   
_But I'm shattered_   
_I always turn the car around_

_I had no idea that the night_   
_Would take so damn long_   
_Took it out, on the street_   
_While the rain still falls_   
_Push me back to you_

_But I'm good without ya_   
_Yeah I'm good without you_   
_Yeah, yeah, yeah_

Shattered by O.A.R.

With all the pieces in place, Winn waited for Val-Zod to engage privacy mode before checking to make sure he still wanted to die with the rest then he said “I need transports ready to fly by the end of the week so we can evacuate the citadels.”

“I’ll suggest executing the surviving villains to draw the rebels out, that should do the trick.”

Taking a deep breath, Winn sent out a transmission announcing the endgame drawing near. He felt a phantom pain from the burn scar on his back, having been made an example of the one time he left his post without permission early on in the Kryptonian occupation. After the transmission, he moved to Val’s bed and the Kryptonian obligingly held him close, unbreakable skin creating enough of a cage for his conditioned human to fall asleep. He couldn’t believe that everything was almost over. A week would give Mon-El and J’onn time to copy the code into citadels on their homeworlds. In a week, they would fall as one and the Green Lanterns would move in to collect the survivors. Ever since Val proved himself an ally, Winn had people analyzing Kal-El’s pod - being a feat of Kryptonian engineering was enough of an excuse for his agents to get close.

The week went by in a flurry of motion, the general visited again and Winn obeyed Val-Zod’s order by pulling himself up to his knees after the careless Kryptonian threw him. Then it was go time, the lights in the citadels turned red as the windows all darkened and sealed. As the Kryptonians were stripped of their power, the human rebels rushed their fellow men and women to the transports. In Metropolis, Toyman and his wife were visited by Lena Luthor who quickly got them out with the others. Once the transports were out, the citadels fell and a high-pitched sound was broadcast around the world. Flagships, such as Kal-El, fell to the ground unconscious as a failsafe in their induction programming was triggered. Kon-El, who was about to leave the transport to fight off the attacking aliens, suddenly stopped arguing with Tim as the sound affected him. For those not subject to programming, the high pitch was disorienting. Taking advantage of the confusion, anti-Kryptonian weapons were deployed from stockpiles the invaders had been kept unaware of. James Olsen flew alongside Carol Ferris and the remaining Air Force pilots around the world for a final aerial assault. The heroes who survived the war kept busy minimizing civilian casualties. Just as the Kryptonians had overwhelmed humanity’s forces with their underhanded tactics, the rebellion annihilated the conquerors with their own unexpected assault.

Immediately after their victory, Arthur Curry jumped into the nearest bay and swam to Atlantis. Mera greeted him with a crushing hug, “Our King has returned.”

A little overwhelmed by the greeting he received from his people, Arthur said “Uh, yeah. With the Kryptonians gone, there aren’t a lot of people who can remove the collars.” The Atlanteans were surprisingly amiable to aiding the humans and ask only that they come to the shores. As they swam to the American coast to pass on the message, Arthur asked Mera “What did I miss?”

“The humans are our allies now.”

“From the war?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, we’ll catch you up when there’s time.”

“Right.” The Justice League was waiting on the shore when Arthur and Mera jumped out of the water. “Atlantis asks that the humans who need our aid come to the shore.”

“Sounds fair,” said Diana while Bruce passed the message onto the transport crews.

Victor asked Arthur “Can we assume this is your wife Mera?”

“Yes,” Arthur introduced “Victor Stone, Barry Allen, Diana of Themyscira and-” he looked around to make sure they were still alone “Bruce Wayne, this is my wife Queen Mera of Atlantis.”

“Forgetting someone,” Jason came over with Red Tornado “I'm Jason Todd and this is Red Tornado, still working on a human name. Does Atlantis have cloaking tech of some kind because without it, giving him a normal name is kind of pointless?”

The android bowed “Greetings.”

Mera looked at Jason the same way Talia had “You’re the Red Hood.”

“Yeah.” Jason quickly added “Please don’t say something about honor, I do not wanna get chewed out again for being disrespectful.” He turned a glare on Bruce “I honestly had no idea what Talia was saying.”

Mera laughed “Fine.”

“Diana told me what it meant after Bruce tried and only managed to get more upset- I’m still not sure how he managed that.” Noticing the android turning, he told Red Tornado “Remember the transports were taken from citadels.” The machine man lowered his arms and let the ships land. “Are the Lasso of Truth and Trident of Atlan in the same place?”

After a moment, the android answered “Yes.”

“Can you tell Barry where that is in a way he’ll understand?”

Given the location and a starting direction, Flash sped off while Aquaman and Wonder Woman began removing collars from the people who approached them. Red Tornado and Cyborg helped those brave enough to trust the machine men. When the speedster returned, Bruce caught him before he could overbalance. As the billionaire began removing the items weighing the other man down, Jason told his mentor “Turn the trident so he can lean on it while we get the other stuff.”

The older man steadied the speedster as he shifted his hold on the relic. “What’s in the bag?”

“Odds and ends.” Noting the lasso, Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, it all looked important so I grabbed it.”

“Keep talking. If you focus on our questions then the lasso won’t pick up on what other people are saying.”

Diana came over “That’s very wise but I don’t think it’ll be necessary.” She took her lasso at the same time as Bruce took his utility belt.

Jason took the trident from the exhausted speedster and ran it over to Arthur, “Here.” With a smile, the king took back his weapon.

More Atlanteans showed along with more transport ships and the young hero ran off to get Flash some water before they could fly off again. Sitting beside the exhausted speedster, Red Hood and Batman watched the procession of humans looking to get their collars off. The former knew that collars were put on threats as a quick means of execution while most of the heroes were still unaware. Jason laid back on the sand and relaxed for the first time in forever, sleep took him not long after that. When Barry Allen noticed the boy beside him was asleep, he quietly elbowed Bruce and pointed to the man’s all but adopted son, pulling a small smile from the serious man. After the procession came to an end, Bruce carefully picked up the teen and carried him to the transport James Olsen had waiting to take them all home. Tim quietly asked the League “Can one of you sponsor Kon-El so they don’t execute the guy? Please, he’s half-human and I’m not sure either of his genetic donors consented to his creation.”

Diana said “I cannot take him in but I will vouch for him.”

“Why can’t you take him in? You live in London, or did, right?”

“Because it would violate my cultural values.”

The second- because clarifying a point didn’t count- was just as important “Where am I going to live now that the war’s over and everything?”

Dick answered “I’m sure Bruce can find somewhere for you to stay, if you don’t want to stay with us and be a Robin.”

Waving to Jason, he asked “Isn’t he Robin?”

“No, he’s taken the mantle of Red Hood.” Bruce turned to Dick “I assume you’ve taken a new mantle.”

“Nightwing is my callsign on rebel channels,” Dick said “I like what you did with the uniform for Jaybird, maybe I could do something similar.”

With a nod, Bruce turned back to Tim “Well?”

“You’re serious?”

“B’s always serious, kinda goes with being Batman.”

Tim nodded “Can I make one change to the Robin thing?”

“You wanna make the suit red, don’t you?” Dick wore a shit-eating grin.

“Red Robin is my callsign, it only makes sense.”

Bruce said “We can go over design changes later when we start working on new suits.”

“New suits?”

Bruce nodded to his eldest, “Armor works best when it fits best.” They were quiet for the rest of the trip to Wayne Manor.

Winn asked “Can I crash with you for the night?” Bruce nodded and led the two geniuses to open rooms, laying Jason down in the room across from his older brother.

The next morning, Jason and Tim followed Dick down to breakfast. Bruce told them “An official from the temporary government will be coming by to do a census. Tim, Jason, the census takers are also handling emergency adoptions so I want to be clear, you’re welcome to stay if you want but I will not leverage your place as heroes against you staying here. Barbara has never lived here and she’s still Batgirl.”

“Oracle,” Dick corrected “She goes by Oracle now, but she might switch back now that she can patrol again.”

Jason said “I don’t have anywhere better to be.”

Tim nodded “Same.” He turned to Dick “We’re not gonna talk to the official alone, are we? With how many people the aliens killed-”

Dick said “No, you won’t be alone. Jason, do you have somewhere you can hide your tranq gun in civies?”

“Course. Want me to keep an eye on your Replacement if the official insists?”

“Yes but don’t draw attention to the weapon, we don’t want them to misreport our living situation.”

“Well duh, you told me to hide it.”

“Good.”

Bruce told Tim “After the official comes by, we’ll show you the cave. If you want to go out in the field, we’ll start your training today.”

“Sounds great.”

Jason asked “Can I start working on the computer today? I should be able to use it if I’m gonna be part of the team, right?”

“Right.”

Tim saw Winn sitting at the table and his eyes widened, Dick noticed and smiled “He’s Nobody.”

Winn smiled and gave the other boys a small wave, “Hey. Jason, I'm gonna haveta monopolize the Batcomputer while I work on the Kryptonian database, since it’s got the only remaining copy of the thing.”

“Monopolize?”

Winn translated “It means I’ll be the only one who can use it. Ever hear of the board game Monopoly?”

“Yeah.”

“In the game, you’re supposed to buy up all the properties.”

“You monopolize them so nobody else can touch ‘em?”

“Pretty much.”

“Okay, gotcha.”

Winn told Bruce “He’s smart but he hasn’t had much of a formal education.”

“Good to know.”

Winn spent the whole day at the computer in the basement, Alfred dropped off snacks throughout the day to Mister Winslow- which was about as informal as he could get the butler to be. He was so conditioned to captivity that he didn’t think he could sleep in a bed again so he kept working through the night. He ran various programs to pull information from the database, which he then put in files and saved to the Batcomputer itself. When he was done getting relevant information, his next step would be deleting a lot of the source material. As much as the humans hated to admit it, their alien overlords’ tech was much more advanced than their own so Winn needed to get as much information on that as possible. Tim could translate anything he missed or his program messed up as long as there was an exact copy of the source material. Several days later, even Bruce was getting worried about the young man’s sleeping habits. The fact he’d been contacted about the Schotts reuniting did not help matters- he wasn’t sure if Winn was aware enough to even hear him if he tried to tell the man his parents were alive. He kept working for over a week before he passed out at the keyboard, thankfully he fell asleep leaning backwards so he didn’t mess up his work. Bruce and Dick moved him to a medical cot when the latter found him there. Tim took over his work after getting a look at what he’d done so far- unlike Winn, Bruce wouldn’t hesitate to pull him away if he missed too much sleep.

Several weeks after the end of the Kryptonian occupation, the combined forces of Nobody managed to get through the entirety of the aliens’ database. Three interested parties - Lex Luthor, Batman and Ra’s al Ghul - set up a convoluted security system around the supercomputer servers that housed the only copy of the database and allowed Nobody to arrange its construction, ensuring none of them could monopolize or misuse its contents. Most of Winn and Tim’s work was published to further human science. Winn spent every night he wasn’t working on the medical cot he’d been carried to that one fateful night. Venturing out of the Batcave, he sat down at the kitchen island to watch Alfred cook. “He’s alive,” Jason had said when he saw Winn in the hall.

“Are you alright, Mister Winslow?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I saw you slept in the cave when you weren’t working yourself to the brink.”

“I think I’m just more used to sleeping on a bunk than a bed.”

“I see.” Alfred said “As I already told Jason when he too had difficulty sleeping on the bed in his room, it is perfectly understandable for there to be a transitioning period.”

“The weird thing is, I don’t want to transition back- and it’s not because of fear, I’m not scared of another occupation taking that comfort away- I don’t really know why.” Winn looked at Alfred “I am self-aware enough to realize my parents belong in an asylum and that is in no way my fault so I think I’m also self-aware enough to recognize when fear is motivating my actions.”

“You think your parents belong in an asylum?” asked Bruce from the doorway.

“My dad put a bomb in a teddy bear instead of suing a man for stealing his work.”

“What about your mom?”

“You mean his apprentice? She tried to tell me that she was risking her life just talking to me, that in the middle of the war he would kill us both if he found out and I’m not sure if she believed that, if she was making it up or he actually said that he would. She refused to even sign away her rights when I was kid- do you know how hard it is to get adopted when there’s the chance that one parent will come claim you? The worst thing the aliens could’ve done with my parents was keep them in close proximity and they did, I’m not gonna be implicated when someone else pisses them off.”

“You’re never done with family-”

“I never said that but I’m not gonna go near them until I’m sure they’re not gonna start killing people again.” Winn looked at him “Did you know the Kryptonians healed my dad just so they could leverage us against each other?”

“No.”

“He would’ve died of natural causes by now.” Winn said “He would’ve died and mom would’ve had a much better chance at a normal life without him, or not. We’ll never know now, will we? I finished with the files and the transfer, I’ll be out of here in a week.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m taking Talia up on her offer of sanctuary away from all the notoriety. I have to wait because of the ceremony but I’ve already talked her into sending Nyssa’s prized assassin in case it’s a trap.”

“And so you can remain anonymous.”

“Yeah. I didn’t call myself Nobody for fame, it just happened that Odysseus pulled off the same trick. You’ll have to tell them all about the al Ghul clan.”

“I know. I’ll do it this week so you can be there to help.”

“Deal.”

Bruce summoned the family into the living room with Winn leaning in one corner. The former rebel leader held out his hand “Jason, gun.” Grumbling, the teen surrendered his weapon.

Tim asked “What’s this about?”

Winn made a cutting motion across his throat where one could see the scars from the collar, “There’s something we need to tell you about our allies, the al Ghuls.”

“Why do I get the feeling this is about me?”

Winn sighed and lifted the gun, examining it in his hand “First off, I will shoot you if you try to attack anyone after I say this and second, the al Ghul family is deeply rooted in old honor. Now for the bad news, Talia’s late sister Nyssa al Ghul hatched a plan during the war to recruit a new generation of heroes by isolating exceptional children. She ordered the deaths of many people, mainly the children’s older relatives. Jack and Janet Drake were on the list of victims. Ra’s and Talia sent assassins of their own to stop Nyssa’s agent but they were too late- Ra’s in particular valued your parents work.” Winn shifted his hold on the gun so he was aiming it at Tim, “You can ask Ra’s for anything and he will be honor bound to do everything in his power to fulfill your request but I must remind you that Lazarus water can only resurrect the recently deceased. Within a week of death, a corpse is just a corpse rather than a person.”

Tim stared at him “You’re going to shoot me for not responding well to that news.”

“No, I’ll shoot you if you attack someone; the saying don’t shoot the messenger comes to mind.” Winn told him “The Batcomputer is locked down and the assassin will be dead within the week.”

Tim froze mid-stride on his way out “What?”

“The assassin will take my place at the ceremony so they can kill off Nobody, Nyssa’s already dead so- that’s all there is to it.”

“Really?” Tim glared at him, becoming more upset at Winn’s calm expression.

“As I said, the al Ghuls’ honor entitles you to a life debt, maybe two. If I were you, I’d save that. We’re talking about people who can bring people back from the dead, er, recently dead. But as long as you don’t publicly attack them, I don’t think they’d be too put off by your justifiable rage. Either way, you should know the truth. I mean, at the very least, you should know so that they don’t have to tell you to explain the strange way they’re gonna act around you once they hear your family name.” Winn glanced at Bruce “Maybe now would be a good time to work in some training on channeling your emotions.”

He had turned his back when Tim decided he wasn’t sad, he was pissed. His flying fist connected with Winn’s back in just the right place to bring the man to his knees. Before anyone could blink, the infuriatingly calm man had Tim pinned in a savage hold on the ground. The look in his eyes bordered on insane “Never do that again.” He let go, leaving Tim coughing for air.

Jason watched him go while his elders hurried to Tim’s aid, “I thought he’d have better self-control.”

Dick guessed “Tim probably hit the brand.”

“What brand?” asked Bruce.

“When the Kryptonians took over, they made an example of Winn for sneaking away. Instead of an execution, they burned something into his back. I’ve never heard anyone scream like that, not even when I had to take bodies from the labs.” The haunted look on their faces was more than enough to make Bruce thankful that he hadn’t seen the demonstration.

Tim whimpered “I forgot.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

The award ceremony for Earth’s heroes was upon them in no time, Winn called his friends to say goodbye before heading to City Hall for the event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback


	8. Love of a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where was James Olsen for most of the revolution?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Nickelback's song Hero, lyrics are in italics

_I am so high, I can hear heaven_   
_I am so high, I can hear heaven_   
_Whoa, but heaven no, heaven don't hear me_

_And they say_   
_That a hero could save us_   
_I'm not gonna stand here and wait_   
_I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles_   
_Watch as we all fly away_

As word hit the rebel channels that the revolution would start in one week, Lois Lane and James Olsen got to work. The latter knew how to push the boundaries to get a face-to-face with his fiance for her execution. He was playing his role to perfection when Lois was brought in. They began counting down, drawing confused looks from their captors. Upon hitting zero, the lights turned red and as one, they flipped the aliens over their shoulder. James grabbed the gun off his, backing up to flank the door. Taking the gun off hers, Lois ran over to the cell controls and entered the code she memorized. As one, they escorted their loved ones into the hall where their allies were shooting down fleeing Kryptonians. Lois took up a rear guard position while James led their growing crowd of rescues to the- “Oh no, these must be the labs.”

A few dead eyed humans nodded at Lucy’s observation based on the screams. Flanking the door with her fiance, her sister asked “How are we gonna pull this one off? Sounds like they don’t have the red lights.”

“I have Lazarus Serum.”

“The forbidden fruit, huh?” Three things happened at once: Jimmy dove away from the door, a scientist came barrelling through the door and Lois slipped inside to disable the lights. Throwing a tray up to block the other lab coat, Lois hit the button and grabbed a surgical blade. James fired on his attacker while his partner stabbed hers. “Luthor.” Lex hurried inside the lab to stabilize the victims for evac.

“Daddy, can you do that?”

James turned at the sound of a little girl’s voice, “Lawton.”

“Should I be concerned you can identify me by my daughter?”

“Not a lot of kids here. Give Zoe to Sam here.” waving to General Lane “I assume we need to secure the hangar.”

“You assume right.” Floyd picked up his daughter and handed her to the old soldier “Keep her safe.”

The General took Zoe into his arms, “I’ll guard her with my life, son.”

“Luthor, keep the citadel sealed and buy us time.” James fired on the ceiling, “Lois, you’re on point.” He parkoured his way into the ceiling, “Lawton, need a hand up.”

Luthor: “Yes, sir.” Lane: “You got it.” Lawton: “No, sir.”

“Follow me, we’ll split at the intersection.”

Lois gave Lucy a gun and they resumed moving to the rendezvous, “James isn’t a sniper.”

Their father said “Lawton’s the best shot in the world.”

Lois agreed “Yeah, I'm surprised they chose to leverage that one.”

They found James standing in a hangar full of dead bodies, he opened the transports and stood guard as the crowd rushed on board before moving to pilot one of the ships, which became the lead ship. Sam handed Zoe back to her father after he dropped down from the ceiling. Lucy found herself seated next to James as he flew them out “Luthor now.” The ships were rocked by the destruction of the citadel behind them.

“James-”

She cut herself off as she heard him talking to the other pilots, leading them in evasive maneuvers against the alien survivors. Once they were clear, he called for radio silence and dropped his headset around his neck “All yours.”

“James, how are you doing all of this?”

“My job assignment basically made me a delivery boy for the aliens and to do my job, they had to teach me how to fly their cargo ships. Humans aren’t allowed off-world so I spent a lot of time learning different routes, my deliveries were never late- some were even early- so they gave me a bit of leeway.”

“And you used that to help the rebellion.”

“Yeah.” James said “Sorry about today, Lois and I set that up so we’d be inside the citadel for the mission.”

“Oh, thank God.”

Lois came forward “I heard my name. We out of the danger zone?”

“Flying pretty for now.” James told her “I called radio silence so I could talk to Lucy, I just told her about our ploy. We’ve already got confirmation Kal-El is down, looks like flagships really are brainwashed as babies.”

“That’s what happened?” asked Lucy.

“Yeah but we’re not sure about the extent of the programming so we’re not holding our breath that Clark Kent still exists within Kal-El, if he ever did.”

James suggested “Maybe you could brief your dad and the others.”

“You got it, chief.” Lois went back to do just that.

Lucy asked “What is it you’re not telling me?”

“When we get where we’re going, I’m gonna get in another ship for a bombing run then I gotta fly the people with collars out to our super-strong allies and take the Justice Leaguers home before I can call it a night.”

“You certainly know how to keep busy.” Lucy said “Promise you’ll come back to me.”

“Babe, the most dangerous part was the evacuation. The rest will be a walk in the park.” He sighed “I promise I’ll do my best to come back. There’s something I gotta show you when I get back anyway.”

“Alright.”

When they landed, James barely blinked as he called “Chase!” and tossed his gun to another agent on his way to the warship. Pausing before he could climb in, he hurried back down the steps to take Lucy into his arms for a kiss. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.” He all but flew into the bomber. Another man helped him into his harness and breathing equipment before sealing him inside. Two taps on the roof prompted a thumbs up from the pilot, which was reciprocated as the hangar bay doors opened to let him out.

Lois told her sister “Bet this is how mom felt every time dad was deployed.”

Lucy looked at her “Yeah. But James isn’t career military like dad.”

“Yeah, in a few weeks he’ll be done.”

“Weeks.”

Lois raised an eyebrow at her “For reconstruction, he’s trained in the alien aircraft which is all we have right now.”

“Right.”

When James came back after running missions alongside Carol Ferris, who spent her whole life in the air, he quickly rounded up the collared population of the base in the first transport and flew out to shore. He stopped to tell Lucy “This is by far the safest part, I’m just playing taxi along with every other half-qualified pilot.” and gave her a chaste kiss. It was late by the time he came in for one final landing.

“You keep busy.”

“Today was the exception not the rule.”

“What was it you wanted to show me?”

“Well, first I hope Lois didn’t return the ring because I think I have a shot at getting your dad’s blessing. And second.” he held out his hand and a small glowing blue orb floated to his hand, sliding onto his right hand.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a Blue Lantern Corps ring. There’s this thing called the emotional spectrum. Every color represents an emotion, which is represented by a corps. ROY G BIV. Red is rage. Orange is greed. Yellow is fear. Green is what they call willpower and Green Lanterns are like space cops. Blue is hope. Indigo is compassion. Violet is love. The Yellow Lanterns inspire fear, there’s only one orange lantern because he embodies greed, and the Indigo Lanterns force their victims to feel compassion- they usually lack the emotion.”

“This is a lot to take in. Maybe you should focus on blue.”

“Right. Each corps has an oath we use to charge our rings. Mine is: In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite; when all seems lost in the war on light, look to the stars for hope burns bright.” A hard light uniform appeared over his body. “As the color of hope, we can heal and boost the power of Green Lanterns but we also cancel out the power of Red Lanterns. As a rule of thumb, Blue Lanterns are peaceful people, we’re pacifists.”

“What all can you do with that?”

“I can make constructs and force fields, fly and heal, boost the power of Green Lanterns, cancel out the power of Red Lanterns. The ring is supposed to be good for meditation, oh and I can communicate with other Blue Lanterns regardless of distance.” James paused to think about what he’d just said before ducking his head “The suit is virtually unbreakable as long as I have hope. That’s how this gig works- you have to embody the emotion of the corps for the ring to work.”

“You’re just so hopeful that an alien gave you that ring?”

“Yeah. The Blue Lanterns have a tradition that differs from the other corps, the members choose new recruits and after three days where everything is explained as much as possible, we’re asked to make an informed decision. I chose to accept this responsibility but if I had turned them down then I would have simply been returned to Earth with none the wiser.”

“The Kryptonians didn’t notice.”

“The Blue Lantern Corps is overseen by two Guardians and the Guardians of Oa preside over the Green Lanterns. If a Guardian says forget about it then other aliens will listen.”

“Do you have to do anything to stay in this Corps?”

“Just stay hopeful and that’s gonna be a lot easier from here on out.”

_Someone told me_   
_Love would all save us_   
_But, how can that be_   
_Look what love gave us_

_A world full of killing_   
_And blood spilling_   
_That world never came_

The next day James sat cross-legged on air as the other guys tried to kill him. Lawton was lying on a roof spotting them to avoid actually ending his life. Lucy and Lois had a hard time convincing their father that James was not Clark the sequel. When Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris revealed themselves to be a Green Lantern and Star Sapphire respectively as they came to watch the games, Sam was convinced. It would be pretty hard to fake three different Lantern Corps. Once the guys ran out of things to throw at James, the Blue Lantern floated over to Lucy and took his ring off, “I lied yesterday, the most dangerous part hasn’t begun. Hal, Carol and I are going to try to stop Krypton’s planet destroyer.”

“You said Blue Lanterns are peaceful.”

“I also said we give Green Lanterns a power boost.”

“When?”

“All we know is that history says embarrassing Krypton is dangerous.” James took her hands in his “I swear, I will always do my best to return to you.”

Hal said “About that, we do know when the attack will begin because Krypton just sent their weapon through the Phantom Zone.”

With a sigh, Carol said “Oath time.” summoning her lantern battery beside Hal.

Holding their rings in front of the glowing part of their lanterns, they spoke in unison. James: “In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite. When all seems lost in the war on light, look to the stars for hope burns bright.” Lucy looked up as he finished. 

Hal: “In brightest day, in blackest night; No evil shall escape my sight; Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power--Green Lantern’s light.”

Carol: “For hearts long lost and full of fright, For those alone in Blackest Night. Accept our ring and join our fight, love conquers all with violet light.”

As one, their power batteries disappeared and they flew into the sky. Lois said “At least you can be sure yours isn’t reporting Earth’s weaknesses. I gotta wonder, how did Jordan know when they needed to go?”

“Lantern rings have built-in coms according to James.”

“That makes sense and did you see how bright Jordan was burning? Clearly James wasn’t lying about the power boost.”

“Earth actually has three Green Lanterns, which is weird as there’s only supposed to be one Green Lantern per space sector.”

“Three.” Lois turned to her sister “Hal said that.”

“Yeah but you’ll have to wait and talk to him yourself if you wanna turn that into a story.”

“Sure thing.” Lois asked “Did you happen to get the other GLs’ names?”

“No and that doesn’t matter. Since Lanterns are assigned to sectors not planets.”

“Three Green Lanterns means James won’t be too close to the planet killer. For best results, he’ll have to be close to all of them.”

“Yeah.” Lucy agreed “As long as he has hope, there’s not much that can get through his armor.”

“Or so he said.” At her sister’s look, Lois added “I mean, I guess we’ve seen enough to take him at his word but be careful, Luce, don’t make my mistake.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“For all we know these corps brainwash members and call it training.”

“James let me try out his ring.”

“He what? I thought those only worked for the guys they’re assigned.”

“I couldn’t summon the suit and the oath did nothing but I managed a tiny construct- it’s harder than it looks.”

“That’s awesome, sis. I guess that proves the power’s in the ring.”

Their father came over in time to hear Lois’s brainwashing comment, “You wore the ring and it worked.”

“Just a little bit, nothing like what James and Hal do with theirs.”

“Right, it still confirms Olsen's story.”

“I wouldn’t get too excited just yet.” Lucy told them “When James showed me the ring the first time, he just held out his hand and it flew onto his finger. I think they can all summon them like that.” Her father swore lightly “After what we all just went through, I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to give you a rundown.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Lois smiled “The rebellion revived Red Tornado and wiped Morrow’s influence so now the android’s a member of the Justice League.”

“James told me, it seems Batman may be keeping it for now.”

“Damnit- wait, how does James know that?”

“He dropped the Leaguers off in their home cities, Gotham is like superhero central right now.”

“O-kay.”

When they returned, James was caught up in working his healing power on the three green suited men and trying to bypass their rings, “Y’know what, how about you turn your rings off then I can see about fixing you up.” One by one the men did as James’ ring seemed to scan them individually and their wounds closed up. A few pieces of debris fell to the ground while he worked. When he was done, he turned his gaze skyward and flew up to help Carol Ferris down, “Your suit shouldn’t interfere too much if someone not using a GL ring holds you up.” Two of the Green Lanterns kept her off her leg, which James focused his power on “Tell me when because I really don’t want to overtax this thing.”

“That’s good.”

They set her down as James landed and his suit retracted into the ring, which he pocketed. “See? I’m fine.”

“You can heal other people? I thought you meant you could heal yourself.”

“Yeah, I’m still figuring out how the different features work. Apparently the Kryptonians have managed to piss off every Lantern Corps there is, including Orange. After destroying their super weapon, half of the other Lanterns went through the Phantom Zone to keep them from sending more through while the other half went the long way to Krypton. We were sent back to stand guard over Earth in case they try any other underhanded tactics.”

“Okay.” Taking a breath, Lucy said “So you’re still in trouble.”

“Only if almost every other Lantern in existence fails, I’ll take those odds any day. Besides, we also managed to reignite rebellion on several other worlds by giving them the key to destroy their citadels.” James said “I have hope.”

“You couldn’t resist, could you.”

“Nah.”

Sam Lane walked over to the Lanterns “I need a rundown of your weaknesses for insurance.”

“Of course. To use the rings, we have to feel the emotion they represent and feel it strongly. If we don’t then the rings won’t work. The rest will have to wait until we’re away from prying ears.” James turned to the others “Can I assume you’re all cool with General Lane being our military liaison?” They nodded and followed the man into a bunker deep within the base. “My ring only works at full power when I’m near a Green Lantern, I can still do some basics like fly and project hope but most of the stuff my ring lets me do only works with a Green Lantern nearby.”

Hal said “Yellow.”

“What?” asked Sam.

“Fear is the opposite of will and it’s represented by yellow on the spectrum so our rings don’t work well on yellow but we’ve been trained to work around it.”

Sam turned to Carol “My corps isn’t big on formal training so I don’t know our proper weaknesses. I can’t imagine using Hal against me would go well for anyone with the power of a Star Sapphire at my command but yeah, I guess technically he’d be it since he’s the reason I was chosen for this.”

“Thank you.” Sam asked “Can you tell me of the other corps’ weaknesses?”

Hal began floating “Let me check.”

James held up his ring between two fingers “Mine interferes sometimes remember? And we already have permission, though I’m not sure you were fully conscious for that part.” He briefed the General on the various Lantern Corps, their MOs and known weaknesses before asking “Is that all?”

Lane said “Yes, I think so. Thank you.”

Outside, James asked Lucy “Wanna fly?”

“Sure.” He wrapped his arms around her and mentally recited the oath to turn the ring on, floating off the ground. “You said you have to feel the emotion strongly, how do you stay so hopeful?”

“I was recruited during the war and I never stopped believing humanity would triumph.” James hesitated, “Did anyone tell you about Kon-El?”

“Lois mentioned him, he’s a half-human clone of Superman.”

“Yeah, he was made after the war and the only way he won’t be executed is if someone who can hold him down takes him in. I was wondering if you would be alright with us doing that.” James quickly explained “I won’t offer if you’re not on board. The Justice League is already planning to vouch for him, one of them could take him in but-”

“You have hope for him.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll have to think about it. How can you stop him without a Green Lantern?”

“I can still fly without a Green and project hope.”

“What does that even mean? Project hope?”

“It’s like the Indigo Tribe, they take those without compassion and force them to feel it.”

“You can force hope on people.”

“I can on the hopeless plus I’m not afraid. If he dodges an execution, he’ll need someone who isn’t afraid of him to grow from this. But, this is a big decision and we have to make it together.”

“Give me some time, I wanna talk to Lois and dad.”

“Alright.” James smiled “Don’t look down.”

When Lucy did just that, she gasped “This is incredible.”

“We can stay as long as you want but when we land, I need to check out the Fortress of Solitude with one of the Greens.”

“Why?”

“Because I know where it is and how to get in if it’s still standing. Kal-El kept a lot of alien stuff there, he had a little zoo set up and if it’s still there then we need to try to return the exhibits to their homeworlds.”

“Right.”

“It’s going to be okay. The Green Lanterns are the oldest Corps, which means more information.”

“James, I’m okay, really.”

“Okay. I mentioned blues are not the war type, right? I don’t actually know what I’m doing.”

“We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“Yeah.”

All too soon Green Lantern John Stewart came over “You know where the Fortress is?”

“Yeah.”

“We need to search it.”

James looked at his fiance “Duty calls.”

“I’ll be back.”

In the Arctic, James landed at the entrance to brush the snow off the key. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, well, he was raised in a place called Smallville, Kansas.” Inside the Fortress, the pilot led the Marine to the controls. “Mon-El mentioned a self-destruct of some kind.”

John got to work, using his ring as a guide “We’re all set.”

“Not quite.” James showed him the zoo, “We need to see about getting these guys out before someone thinks to bomb this place.”

“Good thinking.” John scanned the aliens to identify them, declaring “We’ll have to wait until the Kryptonians are dealt with. Can you buy us time?”

“I can tell Lena Luthor but I’m not inner circle.”

“It’ll have to do. I’ll report to Oa so we can get assistance with this.”

Back at the base, James walked up to the Luthors “I need you to put the Fortress off limits.”

“Why?”

“The zoo.”

“Consider it done.” Lena left to send the order out across their military channels.

Lex began “Mr. Olsen-”

“Where are the survivors from the lab? Carol and I have healing power.”

“Ah, yes. Ms. Ferris told me she has to love the person she’s healing, may I assume you only need to hope for them to heal?”

“Pretty much. I’m not sure what healing would even do for them.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to see.” He led James to a door, “They’re in quarantine in case the aliens infected them with some incurable disease.”

“You don’t want to see what the ring does when it heals?”

“Well, since you asked-” Lex grinned at the prospect “I’ll have to put on a biohazard suit. Wait here.”

They went through the decontamination chamber together and the Blue Lantern assumed a meditative pose, floating in the middle of the room. His ring’s power washed over the patients in waves, Olsen frowned “Lex, are you aware you have cancer?”

“What?” Lex said “You can tell that from just- what do you call this?”

“I don’t know but since I’m focused on healing, I can sort of sense where it’s needed.”

“Are you telling me you can cure cancer?”

“If you’re not aware you have it then we can’t be sure you do, I’m still really new to this whole Lantern thing.”

“Your Corps isn’t big on training?”

“A man by the name of Bro’Dee Walker made a pilgrimage up a mountain searching for the answer to his people’s prayers, a legendary savior, while his world was on the brink of destruction. On the way up, he lost every other member of his party, which consisted of his family and closest friend. When he got there, he found nothing but rain and a big rock. Can you guess what happened next?”

“He realized what an idiot he was.”

“The rain stopped and in the sunlight, Bro’Dee saw his reflection in the stone. He realized he was the savior his people needed, he raced down the mountain to deliver the message to his people.”

“He ran down and told people I am your savior?”

“No. He told his people to have hope, that this is not the end. He told them how he had conquered the mountain in search of the savior foretold in their religious text and at the top he saw a reflection of himself, he shared his story and brought hope to the hopeless. Ganthet and Sayd, two exiled Guardians, saved Walker’s planet and invited him to be the first of a new Corps.”

“So Bro’Dee Walker is the first Blue Lantern Corps?”

“He only had to restore hope to a dying world to earn that title?”

“Nice story.”

“What would it take for you to believe me? I can call Brother Walker on my ring if you’d like.”

“You call him Brother Walker?”

“It’s another of our silly traditions, like each member choosing the next recruit.”

“Must be slow going if you all have to go around and find someone else who embodies hope.”

“I was recruited during the war because I did not let bad odds scare me.”

“Yeah but- wait, which Lantern is the first one?”

“The first Blue Lantern is Bro’Dee Walker, the first Yellow Lantern is Sinestro, the first Red is Atrocitus-”

“No, I meant out of the Earth Lantern.”

“I don’t know. Most Lanterns Corps recruit members from specific space sectors. The Green Lanterns are tasked with policing their home sector so it’s possible that a human Lantern came before us and simply did not return after they finished their training.”

“Most?”

“Well the Indigos are a tribe, they don’t really leave their homeworld and there’s only one Orange Lantern.”

“So you’re technically responsible for this whole space sector?”

“I suppose. Red, Yellow and Green Lanterns are the most active, the rest of us are more peaceful. Most of my fellow Blue Lanterns spend all their time meditating. Before I accepted this power, I made sure I would not be expected to just stand by and do nothing when I could help people. They told me that as a Blue Lantern it is my duty to embody and spread hope whenever and wherever I can, if that means taking action then I must take the most responsible course of action.”

“Is that what you’re doing with me?”

“Is it?” James looked at Lex “I thought you were just curious about Blue Lanterns.”

“I’m going to get checked for cancer.”

“There are no contagious diseases here.” Lex paused at the door to look back at him. “My ring isn’t filtering anything out for my sake, I thought you should know so you can tell the doctors.” When he finished in the infirmary, he approached Hal “Is it over or are we still on guard?”

“It’s over. I’d like to thank the guy who figured out how to take those citadels down, he made it all possible.”

“Ask Lena, she might know his real name.”

Lucy found James outside, “Speaking of, what did you do to Lex?”

“We just talked, I thought he was watching the monitors to see if my ring was helping but then he left without saying anything about it.”

“You set him off.”

“What? How?”

“I don’t know but he seemed convinced you were trying to turn him.”

“Oh,” a smile spread across his lips “I told him how the Blue Lanterns got started and how traditionally, the newest member recruits the next from a new sector. I forgot to mention that we get a little help finding the next potential recruit- I can’t really scour the galaxy for someone who embodies hope with my lifespan.”

“So the Corps chose you and the new guy approached you?”

“Something like that, I think.”

“Wow.” Lucy smiled at him “You have a lot to learn.”

“I know.”

“Guess we’ll figure it out along with Kon’s human name.”

“You’re on board?”

“Yes.”

“How about Conner? It shortens to Con so he won’t have to learn a whole new name.”

“He also needs a middle name.”

“John, like J’onn J’onzz or John Henry Irons, the man who built a suit that could match a Kryptonian in power.”

“What happened to him? Irons?”

“He could match a Kryptonian but he wasn’t really trained in combat and they overwhelmed him.”

“Conner John Olsen, that works.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”

“While we’re in reconstruction, I’m gonna be really busy between being a Blue Lantern and a pilot.”

“I know and I’m with you on this 100%.”

“Just making sure.”


	9. Time Marches On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The al Ghul family expands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are lyrics from the song Shattered by Of A Revolution (O.A.R.).

_In a way, I need a change_  
_From this burnout scene_  
_Another time, another town, another everything_  
_But it's always back to you_  
_Stumble out in the night_  
_From the pouring rain_  
_Made the block, sat and thought_  
_There's more I need_  
_It's always back to you_

Winn leaned back in the transport on his way to Nanda Parbat, “Mr. Schott?”

Turning to Talia, he said “Call me Winn, I’d rather not be reminded of Toyman.”

“I see. What exactly are your plans for the future?”

“Perhaps I could train with the League. I would prefer to know how to fight as my mind can only take me so far.”

“Your mind is what my father desires from this arrangement.”

“I do not believe that is the full truth.”

“Well, you could be wrong.”

“Very easily seeing as I have yet to meet Ra’s.”

“True.” They had only communicated through Talia and even then, most communication had been achieved through multiple proxies to connect the al Ghuls.

Winn remained relaxed, his clear methodical way of speaking would have scared those who knew him before which is why he had to avoid them. Ra’s was there to greet them when they pulled up to Nanda Parbat, “Welcome, Winn.” Quickly, he came up with a traditional greeting he learned from Bruce. The immortal’s smile became more genuine, “I thought you did not speak Arabic.”

“I do not know the language but my previous host was quite well travelled, he told me that was a traditional greeting.”

“Ah, I see.”

Winn had already noted several changes in Talia’s behavior that correlated with her father’s presence. He followed the man on a brief tour, during which he verified Winn’s desire to train and made his interest in the rebel leader clear. His quarters were enough like a cell to avoid the anxiety he’d developed, though he was quite certain they were not actually placing him in a cell. “I must insist that you report to medical.”

“Of course, Ra’s.” He purposefully used the man’s given name, putting them on somewhat equal footing. Unlike others, training was not his purpose and though he’d never vocalize it, he knew he had been the leader’s superior for quite some time. In the infirmary, he yanked his shirt off to let the personnel examine him. Distantly he was aware they were probably poking and prodding more than strictly necessary as a sort of test. When he was expecting it, he could suppress his reaction. He had to, showing such weakness to a Kryptonian would have meant death. He was also aware that they had not been expecting his torso to be black and blue; by some miracle, he had avoided the kind of damage that would require surgery. Ra’s did not seem pleased, Winn told him “The doctors wanted to fix my ribs but they had been broken for days without damaging my organs so I refused to be put under for that.”

“You would allow such a procedure if you were kept conscious?”

“Yes. You should have gotten my medical file already.”

Ra’s looked at the attending personnel, the head of the team said “We would have to use a localized anesthesia but it is possible. I also must urge that strenuous activity be kept to a minimum.”

“You might want a new X-Ray to make sure the fragments haven’t shifted, right?” asked Winn, to which she nodded.

“You’ll be lucky if the fragments still haven’t damaged anything.”

“I know they haven’t.” The healer seemed amused, “I checked yesterday but since I’m not a doctor, that X-Ray isn’t in my file.”

“How do you X-Ray yourself?”

“I changed the code on the machine to create a delay.”

“Right.” The healer looked at his file then turned to Ra’s “We don’t have time to waste.” With a curt nod, the al Ghuls left and the healers got to work.

“Keep the drugs to a minimum, I know I have a lot of breaks and fractures but I’d rather not lose all feeling in my body.”

“Of course. We have to use some anesthesia or you’ll bleed out.” The healer looked him in the eye “I would prefer to put you under to minimize the risk.”

“Mild anesthesia, not something you have to ease me off of.”

“Terms accepted.” Winn began to lay back “Please, do not move. Your organs are barely held in place.”

When he came to dinner that night, Talia asked “Was the surgery successful?”

“I still have all my organs but I think the healer wants to use Lazarus Serum to ensure I heal.”

“Sensible,” Ra’s said “I reviewed your digital medical file. You are incredibly lucky that you did not bleed out internally in several places.”

“I’m pretty sure refusing medical attention would not have been an option if I was that critical.”

“Indeed.”

Talia suggested they begin his training with Arabic lessons and literature on important subjects; by which, Winn assumed she meant poisons and the like. He told them “I taught myself Kryptonian, I can get the basics from context and build from there.” They then switched to Arabic and Winn managed to interject a few times, impressing the pair. He rolled his eyes when he saw the bunk in his quarters had been replaced by a medical cot before closing the door and laying down. The door was locked from the outside and he could just see Talia approaching the healer about the serum. His parentage should make a dip in the Pit inconceivable, he could be experiencing the symptoms of a mental disorder but he honestly did not care- better to not feel in his opinion.

The next day, Talia arranged for him to begin lessons around trips to the infirmary to check on his healing and change his bandages. The bones in his legs were mostly fractured, not broken so he opted for crutches instead of a wheelchair. He was very determined, a trait Ra’s admired and Talia found herself somewhat attracted to. He mastered Arabic at an alarming rate and moved on to learning other languages while he followed the study plan Talia laid out, just a little faster. Ra’s wondered how such a bright mind had gone unnoticed and began plotting in earnest to tie Winslow to him.

Two weeks after his surgery, he visited the infirmary. The healer then asked him to remove his shirt and applied a solution to his chest, the bruising indicative of his internal injuries vanished before his eyes. He told her “I’m fine fixing my bones but I don’t think the other things need Lazarus Serum.” She looked at the bottle, quirking an eyebrow. “Yes, the serum is blue and I know the Pit water is green, it’s distilled to counteract the side-effects.” She nodded and began applying it to his back, dutifully avoiding the infamous burn scar. She paused to wordlessly wait for him to remove his pants, she used less serum on his legs but he was able to abandon the crutches when she was done. “Done?” She nodded. Ra’s was impatient enough about Winn’s training to authorize the needed removal of Lazarus water for the Serum but he was never happy about sharing his fountain of youth. Knowing what the solution was, the healer was almost afraid to use it.

Winn went into the observation chamber “Couldn’t wait, could you?”

“No, I could not,” admitted Ra’s. “You will train one-on-one to ensure you advance at the expected pace.”

“In other words, I’ll train with an individual master to make sure I’m not slowed down by a class of other trainees.”

“Precisely.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

Ra’s asked “Why did you not take advantage of the opportunity to rid yourself of your scars?”

“Not all of them are from the Kryptonians, I got put in some bad homes when I was bouncing around the foster care system.”

“Your burn-”

“Is an identifying mark.” Winn looked him in the eye “I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t know how to make personal sacrifices to better myself in the long game.” Ra’s nodded solemnly, that was the reason several races were now free from enslavement.

As predicted, Winn advanced fast. He had learned to use his skills at adapting to change, honed by life in the foster care system, to learn quickly for the sake of survival (his, humanity’s and that of several alien races). Talia found her feelings for him growing and Ra’s finalized his plan to tie the man to him through his daughter. When these intentions were presented in the form of Ra’s simultaneously giving him the shovel talk and his blessing to court his daughter, Winn turned to Talia “Guess I wasn’t wrong.”

She recalled their conversation in transport and smiled, “Indeed.”

_How many times can I break till I shatter?_  
_Over the line, can't define what I'm after_  
_I always turn the car around_  
_Give me a break, let me make my own pattern_  
_All that it takes is some time_  
_But I'm shattered_  
_I always turn the car around_

_Give it up, give it up baby_  
_Give it up, give it up now, now_

_How many times can I break till I shatter?_  
_Over the line, can't define what I'm after_  
_I always turn the car around_  
_All that I feel is the realness I'm faking_  
_Taking my time_  
_But its time that I'm wasting_  
_I always turn the car around_

**(A/N: Winslow Senior will be referred to as Winslow while Junior will be referred to as Winn)**

Winslow Schott Senior was surprised to be invited to meet his son’s fiance, even more surprised to see the woman’s surname was al Ghul. Before he and his wife could reach Nanda Parbat, their luggage was searched and his toys were seized, he was also warned against trying to use the Lazarus Pit. He pretended to play nice while his wife checked their son over, she actually cared and took the time to pull Talia away to explain the family history in more detail. He was fairly certain Talia wouldn’t care if her fiance was a sociopath; in fact, he was fairly sure his son was. Winn turned to Ra’s and said something in Arabic, to which the immortal bastard responded in the affirmative. Winn told his father “There are some traditions that Ra’s would like to go over with you, I have my own studies so I’ll leave you to it.”

Given both of the people at his level were busy, Winn could not spar so he went to work on his study plan. Ra’s led him on walks to talk about his expectations, he couldn’t really study up for the wedding when the traditions were shared through word-of-mouth. He really hadn’t wanted his parents invited anyway but Ra’s insisted and so this became one of those sacrifices he made for the long game. By meeting before the wedding, he can avoid further contact when his father inevitably tries to use the Pit.

Ra’s made his distaste for Winslow clear but he was careful not to be blunt about it, something Toyman could appreciate. “I asked you here so that we could discuss a betrothal.”

“Betrothal?”

“A marriage contract signed by the fathers consenting to the union.” He smiled at Winslow like he was an amusing animal “Your culture has a tradition wherein suitors asks the bride’s father for his blessing to marry.”

“Oh, this is like that but both fathers do it.”

“Yes.”

“Well, since you are a traditionalist-”

“The Lazarus Pit has dangerous side-effects, which is why I refuse most access.”

“Then I’m not signing.”

Ra’s laughed “This is only a courtesy. I am aware of your condition Mr. Schott, I know that I need only wait for nature to take its course before I may ask your wife to sign on your son’s behalf.” Winslow was not happy about that but his host turned his attention away from the wedding in favor of giving a tour.

Predictably, Winslow tried to use the Pit regardless of the warnings. Winn watched impassively as his namesake was forced to sign the betrothal and warned against ever returning. His mother surprised him by asking to stay, Talia supported her choice. As they neared the wedding date, Winn went on a computer and updated Red Robin, who continued to use a rebel channel to maintain contact with Nobody. Tim responded “Batman and Wonder Woman have finally gotten over themselves, if you want to invite one then you better invite both. Blue Lantern got married to make his wife Kon’s mother, they had a double wedding with Batgirl and Nightwing. Red Hood and Arsenal are talking about having a baby through cloning but they want to know the ins and outs.”

Nobody told him “I was going to ask both of Red Hood’s mentors to attend anyway.”

“Really? That explains a lot. Am I invited?”

“Not directly but you’re welcome to come.”

“Okay.”

“I’m taking her name.”

“Right, makes sense.”

“I’m glad you approve.”

“You know about me and Kon.”

“I checked to make sure you weren’t raped and found out, yes.”

“Wait, that was before- man, you’re good.”

“I would not be allowed to marry the Demon’s Daughter if I wasn’t.”

“That’s true. When and where?”

“Check the inbox.”

“Okay, I’ll pass it along.”

The Bat Clan showed up almost a week before the wedding, leaving Red Tornado to watch over Gotham. They received a much warmer reception “Welcome to Nanda Parbat, the ancient headquarters of the League.” Tim smiled at Winn, who shot a brief smile back. “I am glad you were all able to make the journey safely.”

Diana said “Your League saved the Amazons during the invasion.”

Ra’s looked at Winn “Did we?”

“The Amazons and Atlanteans were both allied with the League during the war and rebellion, your forces evacuated the former into the latter’s territory. It’s probably the reason their Princess was allowed to wed a native of Man’s World.”

“Right.” Ra’s turned back to their guests “I have been told of your exploits during the rebellion, it is an honor to meet you all.” He led them on a tour.

Winn knew that was something he did only for VIPs and that recruits were only brought before him to prove themselves, those who failed did not live to seek alternative training. He also knew that the Justice League was of interest to the Demon’s Head, he once had his sights on Batman for an heir but shifted his attention to Nobody during the war. Winn fell back during to tour to walk alongside Tim “How are you doing, Red Robin?”

“I’m fine.”

“Be real.”

“It’s a little surreal being here.”

“Save the life debts.”

“I know, I will.”

“Good.” Winn picked up his pace to catch up with Talia. Bruce picked up Arabic muttered between them and realized he would be hearing the language a lot. Ra’s finished the tour with the guest quarters. He had been very clear about what places were and which ones were off limits, lest curiosity drive the Detectives to investigate.

Diana managed to get Talia time off her duties two days before the wedding for a bachelorette party. As the bride-to-be was the only one who knew the area, the ladies couldn’t surprise her like they wanted. Thankfully, she was fully on board with the idea of a going away party. They went to an underground no-holds-barred fight club to get wasted and try to convince each other to get in the ring. Talia made kicking ass look way too easy when they finally succeeded, though Alex was pretty sure she agreed just so she could show off and wasn’t actually drunk enough to be convinced by them. Stumbling into Nanda Parbat, they all agreed Diana’s inability to get properly drunk was unfair.

Jason, of all people, planned Winn’s party after getting the keys to an ATV and checking out the surrounding areas. The guests were provided with local IDs so they could drink at their respective blowouts. Bruce was not amused when he realized his underaged children had also received the necessary documents to join in the fun. Winn chose not to drink much and just enjoyed the show when others got wasted. Bruce and Jason seemed to be the only guests with the needed self-control to get only buzzed, the latter had bad experiences with drunks and the former had spent enough time drunk to know his limits. Winn found himself trapped in a rather awkward conversation with the Batman, “Why are you doing this?”

“Getting married?”

“To Talia-”

“My wedding is in two days, you’re a little late to warn me away from my fiance.”

“Yeah, B, he’s a grown man who can make grown up decisions.” Jason took another swig, “Where do you get the right to question his decisions?”

Winn nodded “The ceremony is more about formality.”

The next day, most of the wedding party had killer hangovers when they staggered into the dining room. They each had a note taped to a glass waiting for them with breakfast. The note explained the drink was a hangover remedy. With a shrug, Tim downed his and soon felt better, “It works.”

Winn, Ra’s and Talia were working on wedding stuff for the next day, leaving their guests to entertain themselves. Mary and Winn had both explained the former’s actions to the latter’s friends. The wedding would have been extremely awkward if the mother of the groom had to deal with death threats from all the guests. The ceremony went off without a hitch, as they tended to these days. Everyone but the al Ghuls were surprised by the vows, Tim and Winn had made Arabic to English translators for the guests. Talia did not show her surprise when she learned they were going to practice another American tradition- the honeymoon- and that her father had already made the arrangements.

Several years after the wedding, Winslow al Ghul fled from Nanda Parbat with his son Damian in the middle of a coup stages by one Slade Wilson, who had been married to Nyssa. His wife was executed and he was exiled on the same day, driving him to seek vengeance. As the youngest member of the al Ghul family currently held his former title of Heir to the Demon, he had to be taken elsewhere. With her husband’s support, Talia chose to make a stand.

The journey to Wayne Manor was treacherous. Wilson’s forces cornered them outside the gates. In Arabic, Winn told his son to go as he engaged the other men. While he was not as strict or demanding as Damian’s other relatives, the boy knew he was not to be disobeyed. He jumped the fence and ran at full speed, hitting the bell several times before an older man opened the door. “Who might you be?” asked the man in a British accent.

“Damian al Ghul.” His English was sorely lacking so he just pointed at the gate where Winn was being helped up the drive by another man. “Father!”

He was murmuring to the other man but at Damian’s cry, he looked up and past his son “Alfred, meet my son Damian.” He switched to Arabic to introduce Damian to the two men, Alfred Pennyworth and Richard Grayson, two fellow rebels. They took the pair down to some underground base where Pennyworth tended to the al Ghuls’ injuries while the elder brought Grayson up to speed.

Damian asked “Where are we?”

His father looked at the two men before telling him “The lair of the Bat.” His eyes widened, everyone he knew respected Batman. “Where did the scars come from?”

“Sacrifices must be made for the long game.”

“Son,” his voice held that warning edge that made Damian want to flinch away. His father caught his reaction, “Your tutors do not have the authority to discipline you.”

“What?”

“It would not do for our lessers to view themselves as superior.”

“Of course.” Damian opened up at that before asking “Were you just trying to trick me?”

“We do not yet know the extent of this betrayal.” His son’s eyes widened at the implications.

Grayson asked, in English, “What are you talking about?”

Winn switched to English, “Remember my wedding?”

“Right.” Grayson asked “Does he not speak English?”

“Other studies take precedent. We planned to introduce it when he had a better grasp on subtlety and understood how to hide what he knows. For that, he must have extensive knowledge.” Winn smiled “Plus, it’s much easier to keep him out of the loop by simply speaking another language.”

“Why-” Grayson clearly drew the wrong conclusion.

Winn told Damian “You can use the training equipment if you do not mess up Alfred’s handiwork.” His son nodded and moved into the gym. Winn told Dick “We often argue about how hard he’s being pushed by his tutors, I’d rather he not know that. Since I don’t know the extent of his English skills, I’m not going to say as much within earshot.”

“Right. B is out but you’re welcome to stay.”

“Thanks.” Winn stood and moved over to the gym, calibrating the weight machine before getting to work while Damian ran on the treadmill.

“What’s his full name?” asked Tim at breakfast.

“Damian Anthony al Ghul.”

Jason asked “Did you name him for the Omen?”

“Yes.”

The young man shrugged “Awesome.”

“It’s fitting,” agreed Tim. “For a demon child.”

“Careful, demon is on the list of words he knows.” The boy tilted his head towards his father. In Arabic, Winn said “Namesake.” Nodding his head, Damian went back to his food.

Diana asked “Do you have a plan beyond hiding out here?”

“Yes but I have to wait until Talia gets her people in place. We’re gonna bait Slade into a death trap.”

Bruce looked up at that statement, “Who is this Slade character?”

“Before Zod came to Earth and aliens were outed as a thing, Ra’s realized the Lazarus Pit was losing its effectiveness on him so he decides that he will marry one of his daughters off to the best assassin in the League in order to preserve his legacy. Slade Wilson proves himself up to the task and marries Nyssa. Then the war happens, his wife is executed and Slade is exiled for her horrendously dishonorable plot. War ends, humans win, and Ra’s sets his sights back on securing an heir. You already know how that went. Ra’s gave me a chance to back out after telling me about his first heir, I turned it down. When Damian was born, he became the new heir. To get the entire League behind him, Wilson has to eliminate all rival claims. That means Talia, Damian and I must die. If he desires a dual to settle things then I can fight on behalf of my wife or son.” Winn shrugged “If it comes to that, I’ll do it.”

“You can fight?”

“Yes, one must be skilled at combat to earn the respect of Ra’s al Ghul.”

“Right.”

The following week, Winn took Damian to an armory his family had set up in secret, where they met Talia. “Everything is in place for tonight.”

“Do you believe Wilson will be amenable to trial by combat in accordance with League law?”

“Yes.” As much as she wished to exact vengeance for her father, Talia knew it was important for the League to see her husband as a skilled warrior lest another follow in Wilson’s footsteps and try to usurp their family.

“Good.” Winn told Damian the plan before preparing himself for the battle to come.

They met Mr. Wilson on an oil rig beyond the Gotham Bay. “What? No Batman?”

“You seek my son’s title. I propose a trial by combat in accordance with League law.”

“And I accept.”

“I am well within my rights to fight on his behalf, as father and al Ghul. Do you still accept or are you afraid to fight a grown man in single combat?”

“I can name a champion.”

“Not for this. Your champion would claim the title and unless you formally challenge that claim, killing them would cost you the title.”

Talia reminded them “Long-distance weaponry and outside interference of any kind would result in the assisted party forfeiting the match.”

Slade stripped himself of his firearms and ordered his men to stand down while Winn stripped off his shirt and assumed a fighting stance. Wilson said “That’s how you want to play it.”

“In accordance with League law and tradition.”

Slade impaled his swords on the platform before he stripped off his shirt, mask and gloves to reveal a graying one-eyed man. He noted that his opponent did not change his stance in response to his display. Grabbing his swords, “Ready when you are, kid.”

Talia looked between them before moving herself and Damian away from the edge, “Begin.” She stood poised and calm despite her proximity to Wilson’s traitorous ilk.

Winn waited for Wilson to get close before ducking under his swing, hitting his joints to make him drop the weapon. Catching the hilt, he lopped off the remaining sword hand and let the blade run along Slade’s torso as he moved out of range. The seasoned assassin saw red, lashing out. With a blank look in his eyes, Winn decapitated his rival and turned to the traitors. They all slowly knelt down, accepting their due punishment. A glance at Talia showed him who deserved death, the sentence was carried out swiftly and the rest were detained. Winn pulled his shirt on as Talia gave orders to her own followers, the timing of the action allowed them all to see his infamous burn scar. When he fights for real, he leaves emotions at the door and the mechanical manner he moves in gives him the advantage against master assassins. He walked over to Talia, “We need to discipline Damian’s tutors, they have forgotten their place.”

“We will, my love.”

“I believe Damian could use peers to train with, perhaps his cousins.”

“An excellent idea.”

Damian al Ghul was seven years old when he saw his father kill for the first time, two years will pass before he learned the importance of the brand on his father’s back and the power of a nobody. This lesson will prompt his parents to begin teaching him about how people outside the League act and about his father’s heritage. At twelve years old, he will return to Gotham under the guise of Bruce Wayne’s long lost son to apply their teachings as both Damian Wayne and Robin. The following year he will begin to date Cassandra Cain, the daughter of Lady Shiva. When his parents learn of this, his father will begin secretly helping Cass find her voice so that she may forge her own path in earnest. At seventeen, Damian will be asked to return to Nanda Parbat or forfeit his title as Heir to the Demon. With Cass at his side, he will choose the former. At 21, Damian Anthony al Ghul and Cassandra Cain will wed, continuing the tradition of marrying a respected hero.


	10. Conner Olsen

Kon-El tried to do the right thing and they locked him up in a reeducation center for it. He’s pretty sure the centers weren’t this bad before the humans started using them as prisons. He was just so angry and hurt, what the hell did they do to him? He gave himself up and they tortured him. The thought gave him pause, is this how the humans felt about Kryptonians? Which is he? Is he a Kryptonian or a human? It’s just so confusing and aggravating. “Are you done hitting that wall? It’s not gonna break with the red lights on.”

Kon spun at the voice- great, he couldn’t hear people coming now. “Who are you?”

“Blue Lantern of Sector 2-8-1-4, James Olsen.” He rattled off the intro with a smile, “I’m here to take you home.”

“I can’t go to Krypton.”

“No, you can’t. Krypton’s gone, for real this time. The Red Lanterns were pretty thorough when it came to that.” He shook his head, “I’m here to take you to my house, which I hope will become your home.” He smiled funny when he said hope, it must be an inside joke.

Kon crossed his arms and slid down the back wall to sit on the floor “What if I don’t want to go? What if I’m fine here?”

“Can you explain that to me? Why would you want to stay?”

“It’s where I belong, isn’t it? You just said Krypton’s gone.”

“Do you consider yourself Kryptonian?” Kon looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “As far as anyone can tell you were created here on Earth, making you a native.” He chuckled nervously, “It was actually you’re saving grace.”

“What?”

“You’re technically an Earthling with half-alien DNA. We still haven’t found any evidence either of your genetic donors were aware of the project until you were, well-” he gestured at Kon-El. The Blue Lantern sighed “The truth is, you can either come with me or stay on death row.”

“Come with you or die?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you care if I live or die?”

“For one thing, I wouldn’t be a Blue Lantern if I wasn’t hopeful and for another, your human donor is backing my play here.”

“Who?”

Olsen looked at the teen, “They didn’t tell you?”

“They didn’t tell me anything, not even what they did that hurts so much.” A blue light washed over him. “Hey! What-”

“They surgically implanted a few small electronic devices, probably some kind of explosive failsafe.”

“What?”

The kid seemed scared “Right. Come with me and we can get them out, the sun should take care of healing you afterwards.”

“You can’t make me.”

“Actually I can. Even if you haven’t been drenched in red sun light for the past few weeks, I could still force you to come with me. But, and this is the important thing, I won’t. I don’t believe in forcing people to do anything if they’re not hurting anyone and you are.”

“How am I-”

“You’re hurting yourself or are you going to tell me that’s not tattered gauze mixed in with the blood on your hands? I cannot physically move you without going against what Blue Lanterns stand for but I want you to come with me.”

"Fine." Kon stood and walked over to James, who led him through the facility. A few signatures later, Conner Olsen left with his father. "How is this gonna work?" He knew enough to understand how skin color worked.

"Check your birth certificate."

The file had two, "So my mother is now my aunt?"

"Yeah, pretty much." James turned to him once they were a few feet away and grinned, “Ready to fly?”

Conner started to speak “I can-” then realized what he meant when he started floating, “Sure.” James grabbed him and took off.

At the Olsen residence, Green Lantern Hal Jordan removed the implants while James focused on healing the wounds. With that done, GL flew back to Coast City. Lucy Lane gave her new son a tour of their home while James left for work, she explained “James flies transports all day so don’t expect to see much of him.”

“What about you?”

“I’m a lawyer, rebuilding involves figuring out what the new law should be.” Conner nodded. “Don’t worry about school, the curriculum is still being debated.”

“What?” Conner was surprised to hear that.

“They’re debating what needs to be taught so they can get everyone working on the same curriculum.” Lucy told him “Some kids have never been to school.” He cursed in his native tongue. Kryptonians didn’t get much education unless they excelled but humans had suffered for being smart under Kryptonian rule. “Relax kid, it’s not your fault. Just out of curiosity, how did they age your mind?”

“I’ve been told they used a Martian but I didn’t know I was a clone until Tim told me.”

“Wow, that’s a lot to deal with.” He shrugged. “Okay, well, I wouldn’t go outside until you can keep your powers under wraps but you’ve pretty much got free reign with us. Try not to break anything, 'kay?”

“Ok.”

Six months later he meets Martha Kent along with Alex and Eliza Danvers. For the first time, he learns the truth behind how Kryptonian Conquest worked. One year after the citadels fell, Conner Olsen is formally introduced to Tim Drake and the Wayne family at his parents’ wedding. Instead of a honeymoon, James takes his family of three to Odym. Two years after his adoption, the clone finds himself in the perfect position to carry out Kal-El’s mission when his boyfriend invites him to join the Teen Titans. With this belated revelation comes the determination to stay the course, to be a true hero. Five years after he leaves the reeducation center, Jotun is informed that both of his donors are alive and finds he does not care about Kal-El nor Krypton in the least. The next year, he overhears Tim and his father discussing marriage. Rather than pretend not to have, Conner interrupts to say yes. His father is surprised, his boyfriend having gotten lost in testing the waters instead of outright asking permission. Chronologically ten years old, Conner Drake realizes that the so-called perfect Kryptonians had gotten lost laying the dystopian foundation for utopia and never achieved their dream. He promptly writes that thought down for his next work, having found a fulfilling career as a writer.

_I don't wanna fight no more_   
_I only wanna get to shore_   
_Baby don't slam the door tonight_   
_We ran another off the tracks_   
_That's time we can't get back_   
_We can save tomorrow if we try_

_Oh oh oh oh until we make this right_   
_Oh oh oh oh I won't say good night_

_I just wanna make you laugh_   
_I just wanna see that smile_   
_Babe we're only here, oh for a little while_   
_I just wanna hold you till we fall asleep_   
_I want love, I want us, I want you, I want me, I want peace_

Peace by O.A.R.


End file.
